MgB 2 grains were coated with metal nanoparticles (Ag, Zn and Sn) using the barrel sputtering technique, and transport and superconducting properties were evaluated. Almost all MgB 2 grains were uniformly coated with metal nanoparticles with average diameters of less than 20 nm. The electrical resistivity of the coated MgB 2 decreased as the amount of metal coating increased. The critical current densities of almost all coated MgB 2 were enhanced compared to those of bare MgB 2 . These results explained the improvement of intergranular connectivity between MgB 2 grains by the insertion of metal nanoparticle in grain boundaries. After annealing at 473 K, only MgB 2 coated with Sn nanoparticles showed a decrease in electrical resistivity and the enhancement of the critical current density. These results can be understood by the effect of improvement of intergranular connectivity between MgB 2 grains by annealing.
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